LINCOLN HEIGHTS : Buddhists’ Bid for New Temple Denied

A city zoning official denied a request by the Ming Ya Buddhist Foundation of Los Angeles to convert an industrial building on Valley Boulevard into a temple.

The foundation was seeking a conditional-use permit because the zoning for the property at 4371 Valley Blvd. is for industrial use only. The foundation had until Friday to appeal the decision.

Albert Landini, a city associate zoning administrator, wrote in a report issued Sept. 30 that he denied the request because only one-third of the vacant 45,188-square-foot building would be used for a temple, leaving the rest of the building for different uses, such as manufacturing.

The building was once the site of the Electronics Division of the Thomas & Betts Corp., which still owns the building.

“The potential mixture of such conflicting use flies in the face of conventional wisdom and safety considerations,” Landini wrote.

The proposal had called for turning a portion of the building into a sanctuary, with 189 fixed seats and 115 parking spaces.

City Zoning Administrator Walter J. Gibson, in earlier reports, had given the proposal favorable reviews. He wrote that a church or temple was needed to help the area’s changing population in the general vicinity of Wilson High School.

Gibson also said that the temple would add security and maintenance to the area along Valley Boulevard, where vacant commercial manufacturing buildings are offered for sale or lease.

Consultant Don Chapman, who represents the Ming Ya Buddhist Foundation, did not return calls from The Times.